Bertrice Small - The Duchess

"We will speak on it after you are well rested, m'dear," Lord Bellingham said in kindly tones, and he patted her shoulder lovingly.

"Frederick! What have you to say to these foolish gels?" Lady Bellingham demanded.

Lord Bellingham turned, gallantly saluting Allegra, Caroline, and Eunice. "My dears," he told them, "I stand in awe of the three of you. What courage. What clever planning. Allegra, I understand it was your maid, Honor, who carried the day."

"It was, my lord," Allegra admitted.

"Frederick! They could have all been killed!" Lady Bellingham said.

"But they weren't. Now, wife, I am hungry, for you rousted me from my bed at an early hour to make the trip down here to Brighton. I can wait no longer for a beefsteak, and some of those delicious-looking eggs."

Everyone laughed, including the comtesse who had not understood her uncle's words, but his tone was very telling.

They departed for London at noon, and arrived back in town shortly after dark. Reaching Morgan House on Berkley Square they discovered Lord Morgan awaiting them. Marker took their outdoor garments.

"I am relieved to see you both," Lord Morgan said as they went into the small family salon where a warm fire was burning. A young footman hurried in with the tea tray and set it down.

"Tea, Papa?" Allegra asked her parent. "I must admit to being surprised to see you up in town today."

"How was Brighton?" Lord Morgan said. "Or perhaps I should say France."

"I asked Charles not to tell you," Allegra said, calmly handing a cup of tea to her husband, and then another to her father.

"He had no choice, Allegra. I arrived in London yesterday. Had I come today he might have been able to keep your folly from me, but when you did not return by late last night he had no choice but to tell me. Only Quinton's message saved me undue worry." He turned to his son-in-law. "And you, sir? Could you not prevent your wife from playing this dangerous game?"

"Sir," the duke returned, "when you were her guardian, could you prevent her from her headstrong ways?"

Lord Morgan sighed. "I had hoped her fondness for you would have made her change. I see now that it has not."

"Oh, Papa," Allegra wheedled him, "do not fuss. We have been, and gone. The Bellinghams are delighted that we were able to rescue Anne-Marie and her children. We even brought two of the countess's servants with us. The old cook, Thérèse, killed the head of the Committee for Public Safety so we might escape. And remember when you thought it amusing that Honor learned to speak French? Well, Papa, it was Honor who was our greatest heroine. She pretended to be our leader, and knew just how to speak to this dreadful man. She had him quite intimidated, Papa. I don't know what we would have done without her."

Lord Morgan sighed. "It is over now, thank goodness, but Allegra, I hope that you and Quinton will never do such a foolish thing again."

"No, Papa, we are going home to Hunter's Lair in a few days," Allegra told her father. "We have had enough excitement, and enough of London now to last a lifetime."

"I want you to stop down at Morgan Court before you go home," he told her. "Your stepmother has not been well at all, and wishes to see you both."

"Papa! What is the matter?" Allegra looked truly worried.

"Nothing dire, daughter, but Olympia wants to see you. That is why I came up to London. I shall return tomorrow. Then you and Quinton will follow in a few days' time when you have made all your good-byes."

“Aunt Mama has not been well for several months," Allegra told her husband later that evening as they cuddled together in their hed. "I wonder what the matter can he. She and Papa love each other very much. I should not like to see him hurt. You don't think she is going to die, Quinton, do you?" Her violet eyes were troubled.

"Your father said it was nothing dire. I believe we should take him at his word, my darling," the duke replied. "Now, I seem to recall that before we left for France, you made me a rather earnest speech about our need for heirs." His look was mischievous. "I believe we should now begin attempting to remedy our lack, Duchess, eh?"

To his surprise she pushed him away. "Forgive me, Quinton, but I am too worried about Aunt Mama to involve mysell wholeheartedly in passion. Do not be angry with me, please." She kissed him lightly.

He was admittedly surprised, but he actually understood. "I love you, Allegra, and nothing can change that," he told her.

"You are so good to me, my darling," she responded.

They set off for Morgan Court two days later. It was a journey of several days from London, and then their own home was another few days farther. The inns in which they stayed were comfortable, but Allegra found herself more worried about her stepmother as each mile passed. Olympia had virtually raised her, and Allegra loved her. She had been so happy to marry Lord Morgan, and he had certainly been happy to have a wife after all his years of enforced bachelorhood. What could have gone wrong?

They reached Morgan Court at teatime. A footman hurried from the house to open the coach door. He lowered the steps of the vehicle, and helped the Duchess of Sedgwick dismount her carriage. Her dark green velvet cloak with its beaver-trimmed hood clutched about her, Allegra went straight into the house, flinging her cloak to a footman, her husband following behind. Her father came forth to greet her.

"My dear child. Come, Olympia is waiting for you both," he said, and led them into a small salon where his wife awaited their visitors.

Lady Morgan arose from her settee, and came forward, her hands outstretched in greeting. "Allegra. Quinton," she said, greeting them.

Allegra gave a little shriek of surprise. "Aunt Mama! What has happened to you?" she cried, quite distressed. Her stepmother's body was swollen and misshapen. "What is this terrible and abnormal growth that has taken ahold of your body? Do not tell me, I pray you, that you are going to die. I could not bear it!"

Olympia Morgan laughed softly. "Thank you, my darling, for loving me, but no, 1 do not expect to die. Sit down, Allegra. Your father and I have news to share with you. We would have told you sooner, but we could not believe it ourselves, and for several months ignored the signs. I am expecting a child, Allegra. Come May, you and Sirena will have a new baby brother, or sister. Both your father and I assumed we were past such things as infants, but it would appear that we are not. I have not told Sirena yet for her time is too near, and I would not shock her as I have obviously shocked you," Lady Morgan concluded.

Allegra's gaze went from her stepmother to her father. They were having a baby. Together. They were old. Old! Yet they were having a baby. She had been wed over five months, and she was not with child, and she was young. Quinton was young. Her father and Aunt Mama were old, but there her stepmother sat, fat and burgeoning with new life. She did not know if she could tolerate it. It was simply too awful!

"We shall, my lord, have to discuss the terms of Allegra's marriage portion," Lord Morgan said to the duke, "and renegotiate it under the circumstances, as I will now have another heir to consider."

"Of course," Quinton Hunter agreed. "I perfectly understand, sir."

Allegra stood up. "I want to go home," she said, and walked from the salon without so much as a farewell to her father and stepmother.

"It is late, the horses are tired," the duke called alter her.

"We will take fresh horses from the stables," Allegra said in a stony voice. "I want to go home!"